


Six Weeks

by Victorious56



Series: Numerically Speaking [6]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Childbirth, F/F, Just a sprinkling, M/M, descriptions of labour and childbirth, not a lot of smoochy times, nothing graphic though, that mission didn't go as expected
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:22:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26087893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Victorious56/pseuds/Victorious56
Summary: Yang is determined to keep working as long as she can. Luckily, when she unexpectedly goes into labour, she's with the right people.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Marrow Amin/Jaune Arc, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: Numerically Speaking [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870408
Comments: 6
Kudos: 40





	Six Weeks

"You will be careful, won't you?" Blake touched the side of Yang's face, before dropping her hand to rest it on her partner's abdomen. There was no answering kick this time; the baby dragon, it seemed, was asleep.

"You know I will. Not gonna risk this little one for anything." Yang's hand closed over Blake's, as she kissed her once more. "Now then, I've gotta go. We should be back by late afternoon, Clover reckons."

Blake hugged her awkwardly one last time. "I might be a bit later, but not too much, hopefully. See you soon, precious. Stay safe." Blake stooped to kiss Yang's bump. "Bye for now, little dragon."

Yang's fingers brushed Blake's lips as she turned to leave, her arm remaining outstretched until she could no longer reach. With a wide smile, she opened the door and left the house.

Blake remained standing in the hallway for several minutes. She still had a couple of hours before her shift at the nearby school started, so she decided to do some tidying. Blake always found this a good distraction; she knew worrying about Yang was pointless. She also knew Yang would behave sensibly— they'd had a long conversation about the pregnancy and Yang's workload. "I can carry on for a couple more weeks, and I'm only providing cover. No close combat for me; the others can put the hard work in."

Blake knew how much Yang loved her work, and how seriously she took it. Their original plan—for Blake to carry their baby—had to change, when the test results came back. Blake could not risk becoming pregnant, as it could endanger her health, maybe even her life. They were both initially devastated, but after a while Yang had said, "Well, it's obvious. I'll have the baby."

Blake's tears were wiped away by a determined Yang, who pointed out to Blake that once the child was born, she was perfectly happy to step back and allow Blake to be the A-Mother. "I'll be the B-Mother, as we'd planned. It'll be fine!"

So now there were only six weeks to go, and Blake was reorganising the bookshelves yet again, and trying not to worry.

❖

Yang sat in the front of the truck, her fingers tapping a rhythm on the seat beside her. Clover was concentrating on the track ahead, whilst Qrow and Jaune sat in the back, bracing against the occasional bumps as the truck negotiated the rough terrain. Despite the defeat of Salem and her forces several years ago, there were still plenty of Grimm to be flushed out of the mines scattered across the tundra. Patrols went out most days, and sometimes a specific mission was organised to deal with a known infestation. Like today.

Clover checked his watch. "Another twenty minutes or so, and we should be there." He glanced over his shoulder. "Did you hear that, guys?"

"We heard." Qrow's growl carried through to the front of the truck, and the two occupants of the front seat exchanged a grin.

"Is he still grumpy in the mornings? I thought you'd have charmed him out of that by now."

Clover heaved a sorrowful sigh. "I've tried, Yang, believe me. So many times, in so many ways. It's impossible."

"Oi, you two. I am here, you know."

"Don't we know it." Jaune laughed at Qrow's pout. "Don't ever change, Qrow. You know we all love you just the way you are."

Qrow crossed his arms. "Hmph," was his only response. As Yang glanced back, she saw the small smile on his face.

"So Yang, how are you feeling?" Jaune called to her. "Everything going according to plan?"

"Sure, I wouldn't be here otherwise." Yang smiled at him, before twisting back to face the front. She pulled out her scroll to check their location. "Looks like we're almost there, Clover."

  


Qrow slammed the rear door of the truck and set off after the others. There was no sign of Grimm activity, recent or otherwise, on the ground around them. The entrance to the mine was partly collapsed, leaving a fairly small aperture leading into the tunnels.

"This is strange, there's not a lot of room for anything to come and go here." Clover examined the fallen debris.

"Could this be a false alarm?" Qrow wondered if they'd been sent out here on a wild goose chase.

"Could I bludgeon the entrance a bit? Try and make it bigger?"

"That might bring the whole lot down, Yang. And attract other Grimm to us." Clover scratched his chin. "Qrow, could you transform and go inside? Have a quick look round?"

"Good idea. I'll just have a look along the tunnel, back in a bit." Qrow flashed him a smile before morphing into his crow form. He fluttered over the mound of debris and hopped through the gap.

"Be careful," Clover called pointlessly through the opening. He heard Qrow laugh, as the sound of his footsteps retreated from them.

Yang was anxious, but didn't know why. She also felt restless. _I just need to_ do _something._

Jaune glanced at her. "You okay, Yang?" She was scuffing her boots into the snow, scowling at the ground.

"No." Her voice was terse. "Something doesn't feel— oh my gods!"

Clover spun round at the alarm in her voice. Yang clutched at her abdomen, as her trousers darkened with moisture. "I... I think my waters have broken!"

Jaune scurried over to her, putting an arm across her shoulders. "But surely..."

"You've still got six weeks to go, right?" Clover's brain was whirling as he tried to recall all he knew about early labour. "It could be a mistake? A false alarm?"

"Doesn't feel very false," said Yang, through gritted teeth. "I think I need to get to a—" she broke off as a gasp burst from her lips. Jaune staggered as she leaned against him, gripping his arm. "Aah, this shouldn't be happening." Her voice held a note of panic.

"Okay, well, there's not much here anyway, let's get you back. Take her to the truck, Jaune, I'll tell Qrow."

Yang hobbled alongside Jaune, the young man's face pale, his mouth a thin line of determination. Clover stopped to call into the mine.

"Qrow, we need to go. It's Yang..."

He heard a distant oath, and Qrow's rapid steps approached. "What's happened?"

"It's okay, well, I'm sure it will be. Her waters have broken, so we need to head back."

"Fuck." The crow was suddenly there; Clover moved back and in a moment Qrow stood beside him. He ran to the truck, where Yang was walking to and fro. Jaune walked beside her, pulling at his hair distractedly.

"Yang, for Dust's sake, get in. We have to go." Qrow's voice was urgent. "Why isn't she in the truck? Why haven't you got her in?" Jaune recoiled at his furious expression.

"She... she won't get in. She says she can't."

Clover joined the others, frowning at this exchange. He laid a hand on Qrow's arm. "Stay calm, Qrow. This won't help her."

Qrow turned on him, the desperation in his eyes startling Clover. "She's my niece."

"I know." Clover tried to keep his voice quiet. "And we'll do what we need to, to help her. All of us." He glanced at Jaune, who nodded firmly.

"C'mon firecracker, into the truck." Qrow took Yang's arm.

"Get off, Qrow. I can't." Yang was panting, her eyes wide and glassy as she looked at him. "It's—" The sentence was interrupted by another loud moan, as Yang leant forward, resting her hands on the sill of the truck.

Clover and Jaune were talking in low, urgent tones, glancing at Yang as they spoke. She was upright again, holding on to Qrow's arm. The frightened look in her eyes terrified him. "It'll be okay, we've got Atlas' finest here, remember?" Qrow gave her a crooked smile.

"I think I need to walk for a bit." They began to pace back and forth, stopping frequently for Yang to groan as she leant against Qrow. Clover approached him and spoke quietly in his ear.

"She looks like she's in labour, and quite far into it, too. There may not be time to get her back. We need to... examine her, and then we'll know what to do."

Qrow swallowed hard, waiting for Yang to finish gasping before speaking. "Uh, they need to examine you, to see how things are."

She stared up at him. "Things are a bit painful, and this wasn't meant to happen, and I want BLAKE!" Tears sprang into her eyes as she sagged against his arm.

"C'mon, let's see what's what." The two men led her to the truck, where Jaune had been busy with blankets and the med kit. A small container of water was heating on the ground nearby, and the remaining contents of the truck were stacked out of the way. The floor was now almost clear.

Yang stopped. "Are you saying I have to have our baby in there?" Her trembling voice caused Qrow's heart to contract painfully.

"Not necessarily. But we need to know how close you are." Clover was washing his hands with antiseptic gel. He fixed her with a steady look. "Yang, we covered emergency childbirth in training. And with Jaune here... if it comes to it, we know what to do."

"But I don't," Yang's small voice said.

"Well, first you need to get off those wet clothes and lie down so I can examine you. If that's okay?"

Yang gave Clover a look. "Don't have much choice, do I?"

Qrow gripped her hand. "That's my girl."

After waiting for the next contraction to subside, Yang was soon swathed in a blanket. Clover shot Qrow a glance, receiving a thin smile and a nod in return. Speaking softly to Yang, Clover quickly ascertained that her labour was well-advanced, and there was unlikely to be time to return to Mantle.

"We could try, but you'd be stuck in the truck, and the baby still might arrive before we got there. Jaune and I can help you here, and in the meantime, Qrow can call for an ambulance."

Yang was back on her feet, panting again as the pain passed through her. Her tousled, golden hair stuck to her face, which was covered in perspiration despite the cold air. She nodded.

"Right then, if walking is good for you, then walk. Jaune, help her with the pain of the contractions where you can."

Jaune nodded, taking Yang's arm and rubbing her back as she set off once again. Qrow spoke to Clover in a low voice. "You can do this? She'll be okay? And the baby?"

Clover turned to him, smiling. "Childbirth always carries a risk, Qrow, wherever it happens. She's young, healthy, strong. And being six weeks early means the baby will be a little smaller, so the actual birth should be easier."

Yang was bent over, shouting at Jaune as he rubbed at her lower back.

"Not what I'd call easy." Qrow grimaced. "What can I do?"

"Call for a med team, and try to make the back of the truck comfortable, if you can. She needs a soft area to lie or kneel on. And it'll get messy, so if there's anything in there you want to keep, move it into the front."

Qrow stared at him for a moment, before snorting with laughter. "Clover, you're still a wonder to me, after all this time." He kissed the other man hastily, before scrambling into the truck.

Yang and Jaune were making their slow, halting way back. Yang's breath was coming in short gasps, her body sagging against his. "I think it's getting closer." Jaune's face was almost as sweaty as Yang's as they reached Clover.

"Clover, I—" Yang stopped as she leaned against Jaune once more. After a minute or so, panting, she continued. "I feel like I want to—"

"Come on then, let's get you inside and have another look."

Qrow helped Yang to scrabble into the truck, where she stopped on her hands and knees, unable to move for the waves of pain washing over her. Qrow felt helpless, as he absent-mindedly stroked her hair away from her face. She stared up at him.

"It'll be okay, Yang." He forced himself to smile, as her face contorted once more.

"Right, Yang." Clover's raised voice carried into the rear of the truck. "You're good to go, if that's what you want to do."

"Not... sure... what I... want..."

Her back arched as another series of spasms coursed through her. Qrow held her hand tightly, his grip returned as she arched again.

"We can see the baby's head, Yang! You're doing great!" Clover's voice was encouraging behind her.

The next few minutes washed over Yang in a haze of pain, crying, and cursing. Then the world seemed to stop turning, as she heard a thin wail from somewhere beneath her. She peered down, her hair obscuring her view. "Qrow...?"

He craned back towards the others. "Are we good down there?"

"It's fine, there's a baby, she's fine..." Jaune couldn't help his excitement, as Clover wrapped the infant in a cloth. Yang tried to move round, before Clover stopped her.

"I'm afraid you're not quite done yet, Yang. The placenta..."

"Damned placenta," muttered Yang. The panic and pain were a distant memory as she shifted her knees. "This is uncomfortable and undignified."

"Since when did you let that kinda thing get to you?" The relief in Qrow's voice was evident.

"Ouch, here it comes." Yang felt a much lesser spasm as the afterbirth was expelled.

"Hold on a mo." Clover quickly examined it to be sure it was intact. "All okay back here, Jaune has your daughter safely out of the way, so you can turn round now."

 _Our daughter_. Yang thought of Blake, miles away and oblivious to what had happened. The tears streamed down her face as she sat back painfully, leaning against Qrow, who was squashed into one corner.

"Blake wasn't here."

Qrow put an arm round her shoulders. "I know, and that sucks. But look what a present you've got to take back to her."

Jaune passed the tiny baby to her mother, who took the small bundle cautiously. Yang looked at the red, screwed up features. "You look like I feel," she laughed.

Qrow hugged her. "Good job, firecracker. Not quite what we'd planned to do today, but still..." He glanced up as Clover edged to where Yang was sitting.

"Mission accomplished."

"Clover, thank you. What would we have done if—"

"All in a day's work." Clover smiled at her, before turning to Qrow. "Is that med team on their way?"

"They should be, but we could set off back to Atlas? They'll meet us on the way then."

Clover looked at Yang. "Does that sound okay to you?"

There was a pause before Yang looked up. "Sorry, what was that?" She looked back down at the baby, nudging the small chin gently. "Is it okay she isn't awake?"

"I think so, coming early like that, she's probably as tired as you."

"So, shall we set off?" Qrow withdrew his arm, which was starting to tingle.

"Could we wait for them? Just in case something happened on the way back?" Yang smiled at the baby fondly.

"That's fine. They shouldn't be too much longer." Clover slid out of the truck. "Let's get this lot tidied up, Jaune."

❖

When they arrived at the hospital, there was a small cluster of people waiting. As soon as Yang's wheelchair was lowered to the ground, Blake was at her side. She peered at the tiny bundle cradled in Yang's arms, before bending down to hug Yang as best she could. "Look at you both! All that fun and I wasn't there to join in." Her voice trembled as she clutched Yang's hand. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know..."

"Well, neither did I," laughed Yang. "Only this little one knew." She held the baby a little higher. "We've got a daughter!"

Blake kissed her partner on the top of her head. "Your hair is a complete mess."

"Don't care."

One of the paramedics moved in. "Let's get you two inside, and into a comfortable bed."

"Sounds good to me." Yang caught hold of Blake's hand, but she pulled away.

"I'll be back in a moment." Blake ran over to where Clover was standing, surprising him with a hug. "Thank you so much." She looked up at him, eyes shining, before running back to Yang and taking her hand once more.

Jaune was standing just behind Clover, and jumped as he felt two arms slide around his waist. Marrow kissed him on the back of his head. "I hear you had an unexpected addition to your party today."

Jaune wrapped his arms over Marrow's. "You could say that. It was completely terrifying."

"But you didn't throw up? You didn't pass out?"

Jaune shifted round. "Hey, I'm a professional. It all went smoothly."

Marrow kissed him firmly. "I wouldn't expect anything less. Jaune's Delivery Service." He nuzzled against the other man's ear. "You must be tired, do you feel like relaxing? If you're off-duty now?"

"I think that's it for today." He tapped Qrow on the shoulder. "Are we all done? If so..."

"Yeah kid, that's it. You go off and enjoy yourselves."

They headed off, Marrow's arm across his partner's shoulders. Jaune leaned up to whisper in his ear, setting Marrow's tail swishing from side to side. Then he took Jaune's hand and they sped up as they turned the corner.

"Just us, then." Qrow looked about him. "Ruby told me she was coming straight to the hospital, and I guess we should go up later to see how they're doing, too."

"Give them some time, Qrow. It's been a busy day."

"Gods, yeah. Don't want too many like that."

"Makes you think, though..." Clover's voice trailed off as he looked at Qrow.

"About what? Dinner? A shower?" Qrow's tone was hopeful.

Clover poked him in the ribs, as they headed away from the hospital. "You hedonist. No, I was thinking... babies. Children."

Qrow stopped. "Us, you mean?"

"Why not? We're not getting any younger."

"Well... might be worth considering. But I still want food and a shower first."

Clover pulled Qrow into a hug, kissing him on the mouth. "You have a deal."

They linked hands and continued walking. Clover hummed tunelessly under his breath, but Qrow's mind was whirling. _Us? Parents?_ He couldn't imagine it. _Although there's a lot in my life I couldn't have imagined a few years ago._ He lifted Clover's hand and kissed it, lips curving into a smile, as they made their way home.

**Author's Note:**

> Friendly comments always appreciated, thank you.


End file.
